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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008257">The Promise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan'>Cyan (vehicroids)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:14:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,923</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vehicroids/pseuds/Cyan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Hey, listen," Claude chokes out. Yuri goes to argue, but Claude stops him. "Just listen. Can you do one thing for me?"</i>
</p><p>Claude is about to die. Fearing the worst, he only has one question for Yuri.</p><p>(Yuri rarepair week day 4: marriage)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Yuri vowed he would kill Claude for dragging him and the rest of Abyss into his mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Never did it occur to him that someone would do it for Yuri.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hears a screech overhead, piercing through the screams of battle: a wyvern. It swoops down, nearly taking off Yuri's head, and it doesn't stop shrieking. At first, he thinks it's injured, but it takes him a moment longer to register the white scales. That isn't any wyvern. Yuri rushes over to it, and it goes to snap at him, until he drops his sword and holds his hands up in surrender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn't like wyverns. They don't like him. Today, that doesn't matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuri touches the wyvern as he passes, thanking it quietly. It snaps at him again, but he ignores it. When he gets closer to the saddle, he freezes. Claude is slumped in the saddle, still conscious but only barely. He's holding onto the reins, but the wrong current would have sent him flying. There's an arrow embedded into his side, stuck between two ribs. An inch higher, and it may have struck his heart. It isn't worth thinking about right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He helps Claude get off the wyvern, though his legs are useless and Yuri isn't strong enough. He collapses into a heap on the ground. The wyvern screams again, and it takes everything in Yuri not to scream back at it. He focuses on Claude instead, who is leaning heavily on the wyvern's leg. Yuri drops to his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blood is seeping through Claude's clothes. Yuri's blood turns to ice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude laughs. "Sorry. Looks like someone made good on your promise."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shut up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even now, Claude can't help but crack jokes. His usual easy smile is gone, replaced by a grimace of a grin. Yuri may not be as powerful as a mage, but he'll damn well try. They can't lose Claude, not now. They're close to a resolution, to an ending to this ridiculous war. Yuri's heart is pounding. They can't lose him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yuri </span>
  </em>
  <span>can't lose him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look- look so serious," he manages to choke out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you have the energy to make stupid comments, then you're fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's the only thing close to comfort that Yuri has right now, and he will take that comfort with both hands. He grabs the arrow and, without warning, yanks it out. Claude screams. The wyvern screams with him. Yuri grits his teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yuri-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop talking, before I finish the job," he hisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows asking Claude to be quiet is asking for a miracle, and if Yuri had to choose between two miracles right now, he'll pick Claude's endless chatter. He puts a hand on Claude's side and closes his eyes. He'll spend every ounce of energy saving his life if he has to. This won't be how his life ends, on a dirty battlefield where he'll be just another corpse, left forgotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuri won't let it happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wound doesn't look too deep, but Yuri isn't certain - he isn't a medic. All he can do is keep trying to heal him, until Claude is fine or Yuri collapses from exhaustion. He doesn't realise his hands are trembling until Claude grips his wrist for dear life. Yuri opens his eyes. He needs to calm down, but he can't. While his expression betrays nothing, on the inside, he feels like he can't breathe. But Claude is still holding onto him. Yuri didn't know he needed that until now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're going to be okay," he says, his voice quieter than usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yuri-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Am I going to have to tell you to shut up again?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It may not that deep, but Claude is fading. His grip is loosening, and Yuri isn't sure if he's passing out or worse. He can't call for help: he has no idea where Marianne is, and the wyvern isn't going to listen to Yuri. They're alone, a quiet corner away from the carnage and the war. He can't think about the world beyond right now. All he can think about is Claude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is not going to die. It's that small bit of faith that Yuri clings to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, listen," Claude chokes out. Yuri goes to argue, but Claude stops him. "Just listen. Can you do one thing for me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are too many things that Yuri can imagine he'll say. Take over the army. Look after Hilda. Kill him then and here. Yuri chokes down those fears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When- when this is over, when-" Claude winces, his fingers digging into Yuri's wrist. "Marry me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For an instant, the spell Yuri has been casting breaks. When Claude cries out again, Yuri gets a hold of himself and begins anew, but shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, because he never thought they had reached that stage. No, because Yuri can't imagine being tied to someone for the rest of his life. No, because Yuri doesn't have anything to give Claude. No. Nice and simple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hasn't given </span>
  <em>
    <span>after the war </span>
  </em>
  <span>much thought. He'll return to Abyss and stay there for the rest of his life. That was his plan at the beginning of the war. As the months wore on, months of fighting and getting to know Claude and the others better, Yuri learned things could change. Deep down, he's sick of feeling like he's alone, and for the first time in years, Yuri doesn't feel like he's carrying a burden alone. There's someone who understands him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude is still staring up at him expectantly. Even now, he understands that </span>
  <em>
    <span>no </span>
  </em>
  <span>is a reflex. It's a wall he's still hiding behind. He's waiting for a real answer. Yuri scoffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you survive, I'll marry you. I'll do whatever you want," he says. "Just make it out of here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude lets go. Yuri screams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>According to Manuela, Claude will be fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the ex Golden Deer class are hovering by the infirmary, waiting, even though they have been told to leave. Yuri knows this because he passed them while going to check. He doesn't join the group. Instead, he pretends he has business with Seteth and keeps moving, though he never reaches Seteth's door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There's work to be done around the monastery, and Yuri intends to keep going until there's news. He thinks back to the promise he made: </span>
  <em>
    <span>if you survive, I'll marry you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He shouldn't think about that just yet, not until he has a chance to talk to Claude about it. However, he does not intend to bring it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A couple of days pass. Yuri hasn't seen Claude yet: every time he tries, there's someone else in the room. He knows how it must look, constantly making an excuse to be by the infirmary, but no one questions him. It isn't until the evening, when the Deer have finally left Claude alone, that Yuri gets a chance to speak to him. He hovers by the door, unsure, when Claude reaches out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Get over here," he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He does. At Claude's bedside, Yuri grabs his hand. It's warm, and he has never been so glad for the warmth of another human. Claude looks at his hand, but whatever is on his mind, he doesn't say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are you doing?" Yuri asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can't complain - no, really, I can't. Complaining makes it hurt more."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There's that cheeky grin, back in full force. Yuri rolls his eyes, but there's no mistaking the smile that falls on his face. He squeezes Claude's hand. All of his fears of the worst were for nothing, and just this once, Yuri doesn't mind being wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude has a bandage wrapped around his torso. From the looks of it, it's fresh, which means Manuela was here recently. Thankfully, it should give Yuri some time alone with him before she returns. Claude looks cleaned up, which he can only assume is thanks to Hilda. She likely had someone with her, otherwise she might have tried to put makeup on Claude. Instead, she painted his nails.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Hilda.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You had a queue of people waiting outside to see you at one point," Yuri says. "Aren't you popular."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that jealousy I hear?" Claude asks with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I'm not jealous. I was surprised by the turn out, that's all. Even Lorenz was waiting outside."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hah. Funnily enough, he must've ran away when he realised I was fine, because I haven't seen him since I woke up," he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's not a surprise. Claude and Lorenz always had a strange relationship. Claude sighs, his smile gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look, about the- what I asked. Forget about it, okay? I was scared of dying, and I know you only said yes to shut me up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Partially true, but not quite," Yuri says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the longest time, he had only ever seen marriage as a tool. What else could it be? After being proposed to by countless nobles, he knows that no one asks that out of sincere affection. No, marriage is useful, but it's not a question asked out of love. Yuri told himself he would never get married, not unless he had to. He never hid this fact from Claude, either. He never thought he would change his mind. Then again, he never thought someone would use Garreg Mach as a base of operations. Things change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know your story, I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry," Claude says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not for the first time, Yuri says, "shut up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude laughs, before choking, and leaning back against the bed. Yuri strokes his cheek with his free hand, pressing his lips together in concern. He doesn't know how to react to the retracted proposal. He didn't know how to react to the proposal at the time, either. A part of him is glad. Another part stings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why would you even want to marry me? Looks fade, and you're a tactical genius without me. I don't get it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can't explain the way Claude looks up at him - close to pity, but not quite. He sits his free hand on top of Yuri's, and he smiles again, lighting up his eyes. A rare expression, especially these days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why? Are you really asking why?" He shakes his head. "I don't care about any of that. I asked because I love you, and I thought, since I'm dying anyway, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘til death do us part</span>
  </em>
  <span> sounded good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And now that you're not dying, you've changed your mind. I get it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude tightens his grip. "No."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That serious look is back. The room falls quiet, and Claude stares up at him. He relaxes his hold on Yuri.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. I haven't changed my mind. I didn't think you'd want to, that's all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The truth is, Yuri doesn't have a concrete answer. Not yet, at least. A part of him wants to marry Claude, run off to wherever the hell he wants to go and live happily ever after. Another part of him wants to slink back into the shadows, completely forgotten about by the time the war ends. There is, however, one thing that Yuri can offer in the meantime.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ask me again when the war is over," he says. "I'll have an answer by then."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Claude nods. "Yeah. Better be a good one."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, the cocky grin is back on Claude's face. Yuri kisses the back of his hand, holding his lips there for a beat. With all of his heart, Yuri loves him, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Would it be so bad to be married to a man like Claude?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a lot of complicated feelings on Yuri and marriage LOL but here we go! I somehow managed to make it work. It'll all be worth it for tomorrow's prompt c: you'll see. He's complicated. I hate him</p><p>Bug me on <a href="http://vehicroids.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a> || <a href="https://twitter.com/vehicroids">Twitter</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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